Judah's Med Free Birth Story (LONG)

Judah?s Birth Story

Thursday, March 3rd:

        I had been having small contractions on and off all day, nothing really time-able; sometimes 10 minutes apart, sometimes 15-20 minutes.

        Kevin left for work around 6 pm and I gave Leo his bath around 7:30 pm.  Leo went to bed at 8 pm and I could tell that the contractions were getting stronger.  I went upstairs and had a feeling that this might be Real Labor.  I turned on the TV in our room and started watching Criminal Minds or Without a Trace (one of those showe) at 9 pm.  I could still talk through a contraction, but definitely needed to focus on it a little more.  

9:30 pm: I realized the contractions were consistently 10 minutes apart.  They stayed that way for about an hour.  I talked to Kevin around 10 pm and told him that the contractions were definitely time-able and that I could still talk and get through them, but I thought we might have to go to the hospital that night.

10:00 pm: I went down stairs, got the rest of my bathroom things in the bag and put it with the hospital stuff.  Going up the stairs I had another contraction, which put the contractions now at 8 minutes apart.  I figured it was the movement that caused it to come quicker.  At this point I now had to stand up during a contraction, or bend, or move?anything.  I no longer could just lie down and let it pass.

10:49 pm:  I texted Kevin to let him know he should think about coming home in the next hour.  Exact text:   U should probably consider leaving in the next hour or so.  No rush.  Just that they?re getting stronger and we should be ready for the hospital.

Kevin usually calls me rather quickly if I leave a text and I didn?t get a call in the next 10 minutes, but I did have another contraction.  I was forced to rock back and forth and kneel on the floor.  I called Kevin.  He hadn?t checked his text messages.  I told him he needed to come home because I could really use him to help get me through the contractions.  He was going to leave work soon.

I made the bed and went down stairs to walk around, time the contractions and make noise without getting Leo up.

11:25 pm:  Kevin called to say he had just left the Deere Plant.  Contractions were now consistently 8 minutes apart.

12:00 am:  Kevin is home, gets an update from me then takes a shower.  I walked the length of the house during contractions. 

I went into the office, turned on the HypnoBabies CD and turned off the lights.  I asked Kevin to come in and time the contractions.  They were 5 minutes apart and 1 minute long.  I told him we needed to go.  I could not talk during the contractions and got a little irritated with Kevin if he tried to talk to me while having one. 

12:51 am:  Kevin called Kelley to let her know we were leaving for the hospital.  Kevin got up, fed the dogs, took out the garbage, changed Leo into a disposable diaper, packed the car, threw in a load of laundry and did other various things while I labored alone in the office w/ HypnoBabies.  I LOVED the woman?s voice.   

1:30 am-ish:  I knew it was time to go and was starting to panic a little because, while I could still get through a contraction without moaning, I knew they were getting much stronger.

I opened the office door, while Kevin was getting the dog water and said ?what the hell are you doing!??  He asked if I was ready for him to get Leo up.  I was definitely irritated.  When had started the "get to the hospital" process, my contractions were 4 minutes apart.  I replied ?seriously Kevin??  meaning, 'Yeah, get Leo up, we need to GO!'

          We all got in the car, I had locked the house door on my way out.  Kevin needed a Cherry Pepsi, so he came back to the car for the Keys, and went back to the house to get his soda, I had another contraction.

1:35 am-ish: We were finally headed to the hospital.

I had several contractions on the way there, I had my iPod on with HypnoBabies playing and could through them fairly easy and once they were over I could completely relax.  I kept thinking?I don?t know if I can do this?an Epidural sounds really nice right now.

2:00 am-ish:  We got to the hospital and I only asked Kevin once if he was driving safely. 

We pulled up to the Mother/Baby unit; I had my Dr. Appointment Card with my OBGYN info in my hand, my insurance card and driver's license.  I got out of the car, Kevin got out too, I asked him what he was doing and he said he was going in with me.  I told him to not leave Leo in the car and come up when he was parked.  I walked in the doors having a contraction.  The security guard tried to ask me a question and I simply said ?you?re going to have to wait?.  He said ?third floor?.

           I got on the elevator, went to the third floor, there were three or four people in the waiting room.  I went in the doors and tossed my three cards on the counter, told the nurse, ?I?m in labor and I?m group B strep positive.?  She asked me if I was pre admitted, and I said ?you?re going to have to wait? and started walking their halls.  She completed the info and asked I needed a wheel chair.  I said ?there?s no way I could sit right now.?

           I heard her call to get a room ready and heard her tell the person on the phone that my contractions were two minutes apart and she was taking me back without waiting.  A nurse came with a wheel chair and the admitting nurse told her that I?d rather walk.  I apologized for being so short with her and she told me that it was ok, and that I was doing really good.

2:15 am-ish: I'm in the birthing room.  I started removing my clothes during contractions so the nurse could check me.  She gave me a hospital gown and I put in on over my tank top.  I told her several times, in response to her questions ?you?re going to have to wait? and would walk, and move through the contraction.

          Kell got to the room, then Kevin and Leo.  I was having a contraction.

          I was able to get on the table, the nurse checked me between contractions.  I had HypnoBabies going the whole time.  I was at 6 centimeters with my bag of waters still intact.  The nurse was shocked.

          Kevin tried to assist several times, through a contraction, but I didn?t want to be touched and he didn?t know how to massage ?just right? so I ended up getting really short with him and telling him not to touch me.  At this point I had only a tank top on and did not care one bit about modesty.  I had viciously removed the hospital gown during a contraction because it was hindering my ability to move.  I was squatting on the delivery table through contractions and Kell would try to hide my lady bits.  An IV was inserted and I started my antibiotics for Group B Strep.

          I kept thinking contractions were going to get closer together and was so tired (with Leo and the Pitocin, there was no break between contractions?I just assumed this would be the same).  When a contraction was over, I could relax completely and the HypnoBabies was keeping me calm.  I barely moaned half the time, just ?went inside? and counted and listenedd to the voice.  I blocked out all the stuff around me and Kevin and Kell answered all the nurses questions.

          Thinking the contractions were going to get closer, I told Kevin I wanted the Epidural, I was tired and if they were going to come with no respite, I needed the Epi. 

          Kell and Kevin got the nurse and told her.  She checked me and I was 8.5-9 centimeters.  I told her to forget the Epi.

Doctor Gable showed up, she was not very nice at all.  I was not screaming my head off and could manage through a contraction.   I held Kevin?s hand and would just massage his palm and pumped it up and down to help me get through them.  At one point he tried to rub my leg and I threw his hand off me and with my demon voice told him not to touch me (definitely my meanest moment).

          My bag of waters was still intact.  Doctor Gable told me that if she broke it, labor might speed up, but there was a chance I wasn?t as dilated as the 10 centimeters she just told me I was dilated to.  Awesome.  I went through another 2 contractions with her sitting there just glaring at me.  She told me that if she broke my water it might help.  I said ?break it?.  She broke it, said the bag was really strong but the liquid was clear. YAY!

          Then, for some unknown reason, she left the room.  No one was in the room but Kevin and Kell.  I squatted on the part of the table that is removed for labor.  I started pushing.   Kevin and Kelley  were talking and one of them asked if I was pushing,  I was having a contraction, so I couldn?t respond.  They saw something and ran to get the nurses.  No baby, just blood and #2.  Awesome.

           They checked me and I was at 10 centimeters.  Duh.  There was a little lip, but I could start pushing.  I didn?t care, I just started pushing with the contraction.  There were several nurses in there now, no doctor.  I had three nurses screaming at me to stop pushing because the doctor wasn?t ready.  Really?  I ?death glared? all of them, stopped pushing and felt ?the Ring of Fire? because Judah?s head was crowning.

           Finally, the doctor was ready.  She told me that I could keep pushing when ready but that I was going to tear and if I didn?t stop right then, she would have to cut me (did I mention she was kind of a jerk?). 

           Kevin and Kelley were holding my legs and Leo was chewing his blanket on the couch.  The nurses pulled up the short stirrups because for some reason Dr. Gable thought she knew a better delivery position than me. 

           Kevin and Kelley told me to just focus on breathing and pushing him out.  HypnoBabies was thrown to the side.  Two contractions later, his head was out.  I could see it!  It was so tiny and covered in goo, but I loved him!

3:39 am:  Another contraction and he was out!  About an hour and a half since we first entered the hospital. Dr. Gable immediately tried to cut the cord, Kevin stopped her and told her we wanted to wait until it stopped pulsing.  She started clamping it anyway.  Judah was on my chest and beautiful.  I took him a few seconds to cry.  The nurse whisked him from me.  Then he wailed.  Dr. Gable told Kevin to cut the cord.

             I had a second degree tear and it was worse than the one I had with Leo.

             Dr. Gable stitched me up.  Kelley, Kevin and Leo all looked at Judah and I watched while getting stitched.  About 5 minutes later I delivered the placenta.  More stitches.

            Finally they were done stitching.  I was able to hold Judah.  He was perfect!

            6 pounds 14 ounces and 19.5 inches long.

            Kelley took Leo home with her.  We stayed in our room for a bit then went to the Mother/Baby unit.

Reflection:  In my opinion, this birth was much less painful than Leo?s because I got a break between contractions, which I did not get with the Pitocin from Leo?s.  The nurses and doctors weren?t a lot of help and I think they kind of felt useless because I did everything on my own as far as labor went.  I denied all pain medicine expect for my moment of weakness, then realized I could do it and again denied it. 

     Judah was extremely alert as well as me, after the birth.  I was not alert at all after Leo?s birth and even though I had an Epidural, the birth itself was extremely painful the last half hour of labor and pushing because they would not give me more drugs and the contractions were so intense.  There is a HUGE difference between a Pitocin contraction and a natural birth contraction, in my opinion.  And the natural birth contraction, although strong was NOT near as painful.  I could manage through these with breathing and HypnoBabies.  I could NOT manage through a Pitocin contraction.

Our birth plan was followed almost exactly, which we are extremely thankful for.    Aside from the tear, I feel this was a much better experience than Leo?s birth, all around, even with the rude doctor.